Change Nigeria Project

" If We Refuse to take an interest to take an interest in matters of govenment, is to live under the government of worse men" - Plato

Introduction

In pre-colonial Nigeria, the primary occupation of the peoples occupying the territory that is now known as Nigeria was agriculture – food production and food gathering, livestock rearing, fishing and hunting.  However the advent of colonialism brought in more elaborate business-like restructuring of the agricultural system to foster the production of agricultural products that served the needs of the colonialists. In order to achieve this, the colonialists divided agriculture into two phases: (1) food crops and livestock production which was encouraged to provide food and fiber; and (2) cash crops which served solely the business needs of the colonialist.

In the case of Nigeria, Britain introduced three major cash crops and divided them among three regions (based on the environment and geography favorable for the production of the specific crop). Hence, the colonialists allocated cash crops for production to the regions as follows:  (1) Groundnuts and ginger for the Northern Nigeria; (2) Palm Oil for Eastern Nigeria; and (3) Cocoa for Western Nigeria.  Rubber was also introduced in a part of Western Nigeria which was later known as the Midwest.  This strategy (of apportioning regions, states or provinces specific agricultural products for production purposes) was not unique to the colonies but has been modified and adopted by major agriculturally-based economies in the world.

Agricultural Interests in Independent Nigeria

Every government (Federal, Regional, and provincial administrations) that administered Nigeria immediately after independence in the 1960 continued and improved on the colonial agricultural program for Nigeria.  In fact all governments after independence had invested in agriculture and in some cases adopted slogans to boost agriculture and food production. By the late 1970s, pious government slogans were spread to boost agricultural production.  There was the “Operation Feed-The-Nation” of the Obasanjo administration of the 1976-1979.  There was also the “Green Revolution” of the Shehu Shagari Presidency.

Still, Nigeria has not been able to produce enough food to feed itself.  The problem included the fact that Nigeria was investing very little to agriculture, both in cash, human resource and rural development. It was President Obasanjo that increased Agriculture budget to over N3 – 4 billion for the first time in 2000.  Since then, agriculture budget has geometrically increased until he left office.  To day, the 2009 Federal budget included N116 billion (3.8% of the budget) for agriculture and water resources. This is still small for 150 million people.  Hopefully, this could increase to 5.0% of the budget in the next financial year.

President Yar’Adua’s press interview with the Nigerian Guardian Newspaper this week touched on important areas of the Nigerian economic development that are of most interest to the agricultural sector.  They are as follows:

1.   Land Reform:  Land Reform Committee has been formed and it is in place. This is     very important that there are structures of acquiring land for agricultural products

2.     There is the desire for the development of the Agricultural sector to create employment. The   President confirmed that Agriculture is largest employer in Nigeria today. Hence, it must be improved.

3.    Agriculture contributes 60% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) compare to 20% from Oil and Gas, and only 4% from the manufacturing industries.

4.   That Natural Resources Fund is now dedicated to Agriculture in the next four years to cover especially, research and state government production.

5.   The Central Bank has set aside N200 Billion for large scale commercial farming development.

6.   Subsidy:  The government subsidized fertilizer to farmers at the rate of 25% by Federal Government and another 25% percent from most state governments.  In all, 500,000 metric tons of fertilizer were distributed to farmers.  This is expected to continue in the years ahead.

Agricultural Manufacturing Industries:

Agricultural manufacturing industries in Nigeria are almost non-existence. Nigeria needs to develop the following food and agricultural based manufacturing industries:

1.  Textile Industries:  There should be textile industry in Kano that used employ many people. But the textile industry has been reduced to only 20% of it original operating capacity.

2.  Lumber Industries:  All the Nigeria’s rain forest has been depleted of large trees.  Nigeria must invest in tree planting to resuscitate the lumbering and the lumber based industries and prevent the erosion of the top soil.

3.  Agro Chemical Industries:  As Nigeria moves into increasing agricultural and food productivity, there is the need to develop the Chemical industries to produce chemicals that are needed in industrial agriculture.  Nigeria will be needing chemicals for controlling, weeds, pests, bacterial and fungal infestation of large agricultural products.

4.  Food Storage, Preservation, Processing and Packaging:  Nigeria must develop processing and value-added processing of raw food, not only to increase its shelf-life but also to increase the marketing scope and improve the health and nutritional base of Nigerian population.

5.  Livestock and Poultry Production:  There has been relatively low input by the government in livestock production.  A recent nutritional intake assessment world-wide indicated that Nigerians consumed an average of only 4.00 grams of meat per person per day compared to about 400 grams per person per day.  There should be increase in budgetary allocations for this sector and the current private investment interests should be encouraged.

Areas of national sectors to be improved in order enhance agricultural productivity:

1.  Development of increased interest in farming: There should improved welfare for farmers and improved infrastructure for better living in rural Nigeria.

2.  Develop and implement measures that would make future farmers and farmers’ children to believe working hard in farms pays.

3.  Farm Subsidy:  It is a good policy that Federal Government subsidizes fertilizer for farmers.  But beyond fertilizer subsidy, good housing, access roads, health care facilities and other improved living conditions should be mandated to be made available to farmers in rural Nigeria.

4.   Empower farms by introducing providing avenue where farmers can communicate directly to government about their needs and concerns.

5.   Education:  There is dwindling interest in farming among the youths of Nigeria.  Yet, the Nigerian people want to eat three square-meals per day. A recent report shows that only one percent of those candidates who took the 2009 entrance examination into Nigerian Universities declared interest in Agriculture.  This is capable of jeopardizing Nigeria’s plans to be self-sufficient in certain food and livestock products.  Plans must be made to increase interest in farming, especially, ensuring that the sons and daughters of farmers continue the tradition of hard work with the belief that they will be adequately compensated.

Technology/Mechanization of Agriculture: There should be continued solicitation and development of new agricultural technology and mechanization instruments.  More and more farms should be encouraged to introduce needed technology/mechanization.  However, traditional farming must still be encouraged as affordable mechanization instruments are developed and adopted by farmers.

Planning:

President Yar’Adua’s has announced plans to improve all sectors of production Agriculture.  However, any strategic planning for agricultural development and sustenance should also include the following:

1.  Planned allocation of chosen crops and livestock species (cattle, sheep, goat, poultry, etc.) to individual states as their major agricultural product for the Nation.

2.  Any Land Reform exercise must also include the creation of exclusive farm zones within each state, and local government areas.

Implementation:

Planned implementation process, monitoring and evaluation systems must be put in place in order to predict the success level of implemented plans.

Food Security:  This is an important issue and all the efforts if successful will help to answer question concerning food security.

Government Subsidy and Loan:

The Federal Government’s subsidy and loans to farmers should target the real farmers as the beneficiaries and efforts should be made to verify the eligibility of subsidy and loans recipients.  Efforts should be made to circumvent middleman intervention if the government expects to achieve the expected production levels. It is important to note that the “Green Revolution” of President Shehu Shagari failed in part because farm/food production loans were granted to political party loyalists.

In-congruencies in the 2009 Budget:

Below is a sub-budget table of major infrastructure and service areas which the Federal Government has identified as priority areas to be developed for the purposes of improving agriculture and food production.  The allocation for Fertilizer supply of N15.00 Billion appeared relatively too high considering that livestock has only N4.6 Billion while water supply and sanitation for the whole country is only N11.6. Water Supply and livestock line items should have been higher than the amount allocated to them.

Table:  Important Infrastructure and Service areas needed to increase productivity in Agriculture.

Other important agricultural areas that should have been place in the priority table include but are not limited to the following:

1.  Agroforestry:  planting and development of agroforestry, economic trees and food trees.

2.  Desertification:  Encroachment of the desert must be arrested and the Savannah reclaimed from desert incursion into Nigeria.

3.  Fisheries and Fishing:  The issue of the Niger Delta is not only about oil and gas disruption but it has affected Nigeria’s Fisheries and the fishing industries.  The degraded and polluted environment in the Niger Delta, the Mangrove forests and the breeding enclaves of fish, and the adjacent Nigeria’s territorial waters must be cleaned and reclaimed from pollution in order to reactivate the fisheries and fishing industries.

State of the Nation Committee:

Robert Ngwee, Chair

Hadjia Fatima Wali

Dennis O. Balogu, Presenter.